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Kiaran Lawson
Queensland Brain Institute, University of Queensland
Title: 'From bugs to bots: examining insect flight behaviour for potential robotic applications'
Abstract: Through evolution, insects have evolved into skilful fliers. Despite their miniature brains, they are able to accomplish a plethora of tasks mid-air. On the other side of the spectrum, the autonomous flight industry is witnessing exponential growth in the last few decades. However, even with the current state-of-the-art technology, unmanned aerial systems struggle to perform tasks autonomously under real-life environments. A possible solution to this emerging problem may come from understanding and adopting the efficient and robust algorithms insects use to fly in cluttered environments. This presentation outlines the key contributions of the thesis, which constitute a step-by-step approach from examining tethered insect flight behaviour to modelling these behaviours for potential applications in robotics.